Attractions & Activities/Museums

Audubon House & Tropical Gardens

205 Whitehead St Key West, FL 305-294-2116

Description: This beautiful 19th century home is named to commemorate Audubon's 1832 stop in the Keys to study birds. Audubon is a community of people who share an appreciation of wildlife and outdoors. Admission includes a half-hour self-guided audiotape tour. Audubon prints, period antiques, old photos and manicured gardens are on display.

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East Martello Museum and Gallery

3501 S Roosevelt Blvd Key West, FL 33040 305-296-3913

Description: This structure was constructed in 1862 to protect Fort Zachary Taylor from confederate attack. Now it is an eclectic museum that houses various artifacts from Keys life and history. See found art sculptures by Stanley Papio, woodcarvings by Cuban folk artist Mario Sanchez, a Cuban refugee raft and books by the seven Pulitzer Prize-winning authors that have lived in Key West. Be sure to take in the panoramic view from the tower.

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Fort Zachary Taylor State Historic Site

Southard St Key West, FL 305-292-6713

Description: Plan to spend a day at this 87-acre historic site and park. Arrive early and swim at one of the most pleasant beaches in the Keys. Then shower off and enjoy a picnic lunch. Afterwards, take the ½ hour tour of the fort, which also houses a Civil War museum. Construction began in 1845 and was completed in 1866. This was an active military site during the Civil and Spanish-American wars. Plan to stay around for the famous Key West sunset the beach offers a spectacular, unobstructed view.

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Key West Museum of Art and History

281 Front St Key West, FL 305-295-6616

Description: This Richardsonian Romanesque Custom House was built in the 1820s when Key West was designated an official point of entry into the United States. Various exhibits track Key West's ascendancy from port town to richest city in the country. Visitors can see Ernest Hemingway's bloody World War II uniform and they can stand in the room where the U. S. decided to go to war with Spain after the sinking of the U.S.S. Maine.

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Key West's Shipwreck Historeum

1 Whtehead St Key West, FL 33040 305-292-8990

Description: In the 1850s Key West earned the designation of "Richest City in the United States." How this feat was achieved is the focus of this multi-sensory museum. Using historical interpreters, laser shows and films, you will learn about wrecking crews and how they made their fortunes plundering vessels unlucky enough to founder on the reefs around Key West. Asa Tift is your willing guide on this fascinating voyage.

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Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Museum

200 Green St Key West, FL 33040 305-294-2633

Description: Mel Fisher became a local hero in 1985 when he excavated treasures from two Spanish galleons that sank off the Key West coast in 1622. You can learn about the artifacts that Fisher recovered including a massive gold bar and a 77.76 carat emerald crystal. There is also an English merchant slave ship dating from the 1700s. Mel passed away in 1998 but his legacy lives on at this family-friendly museum.

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